Budapest’s Great Market Hall! Hungarian Goulash! Schnitzel And Spaetzle! Paprika By The Pound!

The Great Market Food Hall was built in 1897 – making it the largest, oldest and most beautiful of all Budapest market halls!

C’mon inside – the Central Market Hall is one of the most popular tourist attractions of the city, because you can shop, stroll and eat all kinds of Hungarian delicacies!

Three Floors Of Fun!

The market hall has three levels. This is the basement, which has butcher shops, a fish market, and vegetable stalls…

Most of the stalls are on the ground floor – they have fresh produce, meats (especially dry salami and sausage), as well as Hungarian pastries, candies, spices, and spirits….here are some:

A Pound Of Paprika Please!

Of course we had to buy some Paprika, which seems to be the national spice of Hungary…and we also bought Hungarian wine as well, which was very good – the reds were a bit lighter in flavor, but tasty – and speaking of taste: it was time to go upstairs for lunch!

The second floor has stalls for souvenirs, but the real reason to go upstairs, aside from the great overview of the entire market, is to eat Hungarian food!

We chose the iconic Fakanal Etterem Restaurant, which is enormous, and offers a huge menu of traditional Hungarian food, served cafeteria style, and there is always a line!

Yes, there is a second menu posted in English as well, but who wants that? Here is a look at the process: you get in line, grab a tray, and then go along and tell them which items you want!

See what’s there on the top left of the photo? That’s Spaetzle, Hungary’s version of “pasta meets orzo!” And it was exactly what I wanted, topped by a Hungarian classic:

Wiener Schnitzel And Spätzle!

That’s right, a piece of veal thinly pounded, breaded and pan fried, sitting on top of Spaetzle, with a wedge of lemon…an iconic Hungarian dish!

Oh, except Alex got something even MORE iconic!

Hungarian Goulash!

Alex opted for a thick, meaty bowl of Goulash, served alongside some potato salad…it was a heartier version of Goulash than she had the day before – take a look at the picture she posted of that dish on Instagram:

This one was served as an appetizer, so it was more of a stew…either way, they were both delicious and filling, just as my Schnitzel was!

Oh, and one other very popular dish was this one:

It was a pork trotter, held in place with a big carving knife, and served with a great Hungarian beer! Yes, we had to get one of their local beers as well:

There you go: traditional Hungarian food at Budapest’s oldest and most iconic market – just one of the many incredible adventures we had in this incredible city!

Budapest at night is bathed in golden light, an incredible sigh to see – here are pictures and video of a sunset cruise on the Danube:

Ah, Spaetzle! Isn’t about time they develop an Odorama feature on the Internet so at least we can get that theater lobby/popcorn kind of olfactory rush when reading your pieces? I swear I could smell the goulash, but I’m afraid it was just a few brain cells dying off.

I would have chosen the schnitzel. despite political correctness about veal here, it is one of my favourites.
Did you try any ‘Egri Bikaver’ red wine? It is sometimes called ‘Bull’s Blood’. In the 1980s, it was one of my favourite reds. https://www.tripsavvy.com/bulls-blood-of-hungary-1501569
Best wishes, pete.

I love great food, interesting books, fascinating travel, outrageous movies, and bacon, especially when it sits on top of a great cheeseburger!
I work in entertainment - and I have been lucky enough to interview some really talented Artists - that guides my posts: interesting and provocative movies, music, social media and of course, food, since I believe strongly in the maxim, "everyone eats!"